Charles a



(No Model.)

0. A. BEACH & R. DANSINGER.

STREET RAILWAY TRACK. No. 434,420. Patented Aug. 19,, 1890;

JV 1 VEZV T ORS M a VMLMA.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. BEACH AND ROBERT DANSINGER, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK; SAID DANSINGER ASSIGNQR TO SAID BEACH.

STREET-RAI LWAY TRACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,420, dated August 19, 1890.

Application filed April 19, 1890.

- Serial No. 348,7411 (N model) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. BEACH and ROBERT DANSINGER, citizens of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new an d useful Improvementsin Street- Railway Tracks; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appert-ains to make and use the same.

Our invention consists in the novel construction of metallic sleepers and connecting tie-bars for street-railways, and also of track rails, and has for its object to provide an improved sleeper and tie-bar to take the place of the ordinary wood cross-ties and stringers, and an improved track-rail having the rigidness of the ordinary girder-rail and adapted to be secured to the sleepers without the use of objectionable rail-spikes, as hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1 is a side view of the metallic sleeper and track-rail. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the metallic sleeper the tie-bars, and track-rails in position. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section, taken on line w 3 of Fig. 2, illustrating the manner of connecting the crosstie bars and track -rails with the sleepers. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the metallic sleepers secured on wooden cross-ties. Fig. 5 is a side view of the track-rail and metallic sleeper supported on Wooden cross-ties. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of a rail and sleeper, showing the manner of connecting the rail to the sleeper and the sleeper to a wooden cross-tie. Fig. 7 is a side view of a wedge-key. Fig. 8 is a side View of the end of cross-tie.

As represented in the drawings, the railsupporting sleepers are constructed with a wide supporting flange or base B, and a top flange 0 connected with the bottom flange by means of the central vertical web A. The sleepers which support the central portion of the rail are similar in the construction of their parts to those which support the meeting ends of the rail, but made shorter in length, as indicated by the base 13 and web A in Fig. 1. The surface of the'top flange C consists of a plane e and an oblique ofiset rising from the through corresponding slots formed in the flanges of the rail, so as to secure the rail on the sleeper. bars provided with notches h on their ends adapted to fit into the vertical slots formed in the web of the sleeper. The top edge of the tie-bar h when placed in the slots comes in contact with the lower edge of the flange j of the track-rail, and when the wedge-keys K are driven into the slots formed in theweb of the sleeper and the flanges of the rail the flanges are drawn firmly down into the tiebars h, thereby holding the track-rail solid and firm in place. The track-rails N are of the ordinary shape on the upper side, and are provided with parallel longitudinal flanges j extending downward from the under side, thereby giving strength and firmness to the rail.

When a street-railway is to be constructed on soft or yielding earth the sleepers may be made much shorter in length, as shown in Fig. 5,'used in pairs, and secured on wooden cross-ties M. YVhen Wooden cross-ties are nsed,the iron cross-ties may be dispensed with. The wedge-keys K are made a little thinner at one end than at the other, and are provided with a notch in one edge to fit into the flange jand keep it in place. The keys are preferably made of spring-steel, so that they will hold the rail and sleeper together by springtension, and thereby prevent any rattling of the parts when in use.

What we claim is 1. The combination, with a street-railway rail having parallel depending flanges formed on its edges, of a metallic sleeper consisting of a top and bottom flange connected together by a central vertical web, and a fastening-key secured in oppositely-disposed perforations formed in the web of the sleeper and flanges The iron ties h are straight flat q of the track-rail, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combinatiomwith street-railway rails provided with parallel depending flanges formed on its edges, of metallic sleepers having a top and bottom flange connected together by means of a central vertical web, a

fastening-key secured in oppositely-disposed perforations formed in the web of the sleeper the groove of the rail, and a fastening-key secured in perforations formed in the web of the sleeper and the flanges of the track-rail, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination',with street-railway rails provided with depending longitudinal flanges formed on their edges, of metallic sleepershaving a top flange, a bottom flange, and a central vertical web connecting said flanges together, a fastening-key secured in oppositelydisposed perforations formed in the web of the sleeper and in the flanges of the trackrail, and wooden crossties supporting said sleepers, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. BEACH. ROBERT DANSINGER. Witnesses:

ROBERT W. HARDIE, CHAS. II. MILLS. 

